North Dakota - Dakota West Arts Council
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215 North Sixth Street |
Linda Olsrud Jenna Heinle |
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Tel.: (701) 222-6640 |
mailto:linda@dakotawest.org Website: |
Organizational Profile:
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Full-time Staff: 1 |
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The mission of Dakota West Arts Council (DWAC) is to support and encourage artistic opportunities to area residents and visitors. Founded in 1979, Dakota West Arts Council serves as an umbrella arts organization with approximately 80 members and member organizations. DWAC provides services to support artistic endeavors, expand cultural opportunities for artists and audiences, and develop programs that make the arts affordable and accessible to all. Dakota West Arts Council reaches more than 25,000 people through member organization participants and by outreach to Bismarck/Mandan and surrounding communities. All DWAC activities have two main purposes. The first is to provide ways, proven or new, to promote the arts, individual artists, and arts organizations within the community; the second is to make arts activities and events visible, accessible, and available in public settings at minimal or no charge so all people can experience them.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Qwest; CVS Pharmacy; MDU Resource Foundation; National Arts and Disability Center; North Dakota Council on the Arts; Basin Electric Power Cooperative; Starion Financial; Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation; City of Bismarck; North Dakota Community Foundation, Impact Foundation; Midwest Business Machines; Eckroth Music; Pagel, Weikum, PLLC; Elks Home Association Charities; Eye Center of the Dakotas; Twin City Roofing; Western Steel and Plumbing; VSA arts, in association with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Art Venture Program
The Art Venture program provides unique art experiences for three- to six-year-old students who have disabilities or who are considered "at risk," and students in grades two through six who are disadvantaged and/or who have disabilities. Qualified teaching artists design and teach innovative lessons in after-school programs in Bismarck and Mandan, in collaboration with the YMCA, and at Bismarck Early Childhood Education Program (BECEP). These lessons in visual arts, creative movement, and theatre do not replicate regular classroom programming; they are designed to enhance and improve the students' cognitive thinking, social skills, fine and large motor skills, sense of teamwork, and self-esteem. Art Venture classes provide a means of creative expression, without preconceived expectations for the children. One artist residency in creative movement is integrated into the Art Venture program at BECEP and is supported in part by the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA).
Parents of children who have disabilities face inherent challenges, and Art Venture provides a cooperative, supportive way to help them address those challenges. Families report improved interaction because of their children’s involvement in Art Venture. Every spring there is a free public Art Venture exhibition showcasing the work of the participating children.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Live Art in Motion
Dakota West Arts Council sponsors Live Art in Motion, which provides an opportunity for member artists and arts organizations to demonstrate their artistic genres to the public. Live music, dance, and theater performances take place at a local mall throughout the day on a Saturday in early February. There is a hands-on pottery demonstration as well as artists who sketch, sculpt, or paint on site. Local art groups sell season tickets, promote programs, recruit volunteers, and build collaborations with other local arts organizations.
arTView
Dakota West Arts Council, North Dakota Council on the Arts, and Community Access Television partner in presenting arTView. Using a conversational format, arTView is a taped half-hour show hosted by someone familiar with the arts community; it features different member organizations and programs, including the VSA arts affiliated Art Venture. The tapes air on a rotating basis for up to 18 months.
Brown Bag Concert Series
Dakota West Arts Council member organizations provide free concerts and performances during the noon hour every Wednesday in July and August at Custer Park in Bismarck. Community members are encouraged to bring a sack lunch and a blanket or lawn chairs for seating while they eat lunch and enjoy live music, theater, and dance. Brown Bag in the Park concerts have been a summertime tradition for the past 19 years.
Downtown Art in Motion
Dakota West Arts Council sponsors Downtown Art in Motion, held in mid-September during the same weekend as FolkFest, a community event that brings food and crafts booths to the downtown area of Bismarck. Downtown Art in Motion is in Custer Park; member organizations perform live onstage every hour. There is a pottery making demonstration and local artists have booths in the park. This is a free event.
Regional Forums and Statewide Conference
Dakota West Arts Council, NDCA, and the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities present regional forums and a statewide conference to ascertain barriers, educational needs, and potentially effective strategies for promoting arts careers for individuals with disabilities in North Dakota. There will be planning meetings in four geographically distinct areas of the state, culminating with the statewide conference in Bismarck in April.
(F) 202-429-0868